Sleeping sickness
by Fangirldown
Summary: AU. Arthur is the lead singer and acoustic guitar player in a local cover band that suffers severe nightmares on a nightly basis while Merlin, who lives in the apartment next to him, suffers from acute insomnia. They have never actually meet though, until Merlin becomes curious about the man who ends up singing him to sleep at 2 am through his bedroom wall.
1. Chapter 1

Arthur let out a strangled gasp as he regained consciousness, his pillow soaked with sweat and blond tendrils sticking to his forehead as he sat up and let the bed sheets pool around his waist, trying to forget the image that was still so vivid in his mind, his hands rubbing down his face. "Christ," he muttered in his darkened room. There was no screaming now, only the sound of his heavy breathing and sheets rubbing against one another as he shifted them off and removed himself from the bed, grabbing his acoustic and heading out into the living room like always did when this happened.

...

Merlin sat on his bed with his back against the wall and his red, swollen eyes glued to the telly that never played anything good this time of morning, mostly just infomercials and reruns of crappy shows that never aired during the day, he knew from years of experience. Finally he heard it, the muffled sound of guitar strings, and a smile came to his face as his eyes skimmed slowly over to the clock that read 2:13 am. He'd grown accustomed to his neighbours guitar practice, usually beginning between 2-3 in the morning, now he expected it, welcomed it, because it was the only thing that relaxed him enough to actually sleep. Merlin used the remote to click off the telly before he pulled back his comforter and laid down, listening to the low hum of words he could never understand, as his eyelids slid closed and he fell asleep with the hint of a smile etched on his face.

...

"Boy, don't you look like crap." Morgana commented on her brother's current distressful look as they sat in the little cafe for their regular Saturday morning breakfast. "Thanks Morgana, I hadn't noticed that this morning when I looked in the mirror." he replied Sarcastically as he brought his cup of coffee to his lips, hoping the caffeinated beverage would boost some of his energy level so he could make it through the day. "Still having nightmares, I take it?" she asked him over her cup of tea.

He knew where this conversation was going by now, it was always the same with her. "Don't even start." he mumbled tiredly while playing with the ring on his finger in boredom as she cocked her head to the side. "I just think you should see a doctor. There' no harm-"

"Drop it Morgana, I already told you there's going to be nothing they can do about it." he interrupted her only for her to role eyes. "You never know unless you try," she retorted as she leaned back in her chair. "Anyway, where are you guys playing at tonight?"

He let out a puff of breath through pursed lips. "The Olde Squire, I believe." he told her as the waitress arrived with their plates of food and set them down in front of them.

"Oh! Gwaine works there." Morgana perked up at the thought but the mention of the handsome man making Arthur roll his shoulders back as if they could some how roll the effect that very name had on him right off. "You're terrible." Arthur muttered as he picked up his fork and began to poke at his eggs. "What? Do you want me to apologize for him being straight and attracted to me?" she said with a smile as she picked up one of the grapes from her plate and popped it in her mouth.

"Of course not," Arthur replied before bringing his eyes up to hers, an annoyed look in them. " I want you to shut up."

...

"You're coming out tonight, right?" Gwaine asked as he poked his head out from around the kitchen corner and looked at the back of Merlin, elbow propped up on the kitchen table with his laptop in front of him.

"I already came out years ago." Merlin replied with a tired chuckle as he waited for Gwaine to catch on to the joke, then he heard him snort and what he presumed was his hand banging on the kitchen counter. "Now that was a good one mate," he said coming up behind the younger man and placing his hands on his shoulders, "but you really should come to the pub tonight, I'm working and supposedly there's going to be a half decent band playing for once."

Merlin never took his eyes off the screen, his recent romance novel nearly finished but his mind going blank on the ending. "You know I can't, I have a deadline in just a week and for some reason I can't fathom this out," he said as he clicked the mouse in frustration. "Have you ever heard the expression 'all work no play make's Merlin a dull boy?'" Gwaine asked as he used his fingers to show Merlin where the quotations where suppose to be. "I have actually, I've only _seen_ The Shining about 50 times at 3 in the morning." Merlin nearly snapped as his frustration grew deeper by the moment.

"Jesus, what crawled up your arse this morning?" Gwaine mumbled as he went back into Merlin's kitchen to resume his search for food and beer. "Sadly nothing because if it did I'd be in a better mood." Merlin spat back with a grimace before a smirk came to his face. He was on point with his comebacks this morning. Finally Gwaine emerged from the kitchen with a beer in one hand and a sandwich in the other as he joined his friend at the table.

"You wanna know what I think?" he asked Merlin with his mouth full. "Not really but I have a feeling you're going to tell me anyway." he replied as he began to re-read the last few sentences he'd written in hopes of getting some sort of idea going. "I think you should come out and meet some people, put yourself out there instead of hiding away in your room writing non-stop about love you've barely ever experienced for yourself." Gwaine said and Merlin shot him a glare. "What do you know of my love life?"

"That it doesn't exist at this point." he stated bluntly and Merlin rolled his eyes as a sour look came over his face. "Just come out, drinks will be on the house, and I promise you'll have a good time." Gwaine tried to convince him. The guy barely left his apartment, apart from the time he had to do the shopping or errands or run to Pendragon Publisher's inc. to hand in his latest book which, Gwaine had to hand it to him, were quite good. With a sigh Merlin dropped his hurting head into his hands. "Fine, I'll go. I hardly anticipate I'll make any more progress on this tonight anyway." he said as he closed the screen to his laptop and pushed it away, Gwaine smiling at him as he chewed.

...

The lights in the bar dimmed so that only the stage was lit up as Knights of Albion took their places, Arthur at the mic, Elyan on Bass, Leon with the lead guitar and Percival at the drums. Morgana took a table nearest the bar with Gwen joining her, her eyes continually stealing glances at Gwaine over her shoulder, but his attention seemed transfixed on the dark hair man at the bar who looked uncomfortable in his surroundings, his eyes darting from place to place as he took it all in.

"Alright ladies and gentlemen, let's get this party started then." Arthur said into the mic and capturing the attention of the packed bar. Gwaine was impressed by the turnout of people, most standing because all the tables and bar stools had been filled. Merlin concentrated on the blond beauty up on stage. He gripped the acoustic firmly before his fingers made work of the strings.

"I awoke only to find my lungs empty." his voice rang throughout the pub and vibrated in Merlin's chest, his heartbeat moving at the speed of a bullet train as he watched his lips form every word, every syllable and the way his voice controlled the heavenly sounds they made. His voice wasn't as deep as one would expect like his normal tone of speaking, but Merlin had a sudden onset of Deja vu as he listened to the melody floating all around him, the feeling emanating from his bones as he tried to pinpoint exactly where he could have heard that melody before.

"Merlin you alright?" he jumped and turned to see Gwaine had returned far quicker than he imagines considering all the patrons and drink orders going on. "Fine...just...get me a gin and tonic." he said hoping the drink would somehow diminish his feeling of anxiety and put his mind to rest before he got cranky from his lack of sleeping habits and the toll it was beginning to play on his mind and body. He jumped again when a woman suddenly appeared behind him, dark hair and blue eyes enshrouded with dark make-up.

"Hi, didn't mean to startle you," she chuckled before holding out her hand to him. "Morgana." he took her outstretched hand and gave it one good shake, hoping she didn't feel the ways his had trembled in hers. "I'm Mer-"

"One gin and tonic." Gwaine interrupted him as he placed the tall glass in front of him. "Hey Morgana." he said with a smile as his eyes trailed over to her and he smiled. Merlin grabbed the glass and lifted it to his lips in a hurry, chugging it's contents as the two began to flirt incessantly in front of him, something he wished Gwaine would stop doing when he was around. "And where are my manners?Morgana this is-" he finally said drawing his attention back to Merlin who had his glass fully tilted in the air as the last remnants passed through his lips, a little dribbling down his chin.

He placed the glass down and slide it back to Gwaine, "More." he requested and Gwaine took the glass as he eyed Merlin. "Fine, but don't drink so quick you'll make yourself sick." he told him as he took off farther down the row. "Anyway, I'm Merlin." he said and she nodded at him with a smile. "Merlin, I think I've heard that name before." she said trying to rack her brain as to where she could possibly have heard such an unusual name. "Perhaps you've read one of my books." he said taking a blind shot but she looked thoughtful for a moment.

"You know I might have, I did inherit Pendragon publishing after all." she said and watched his face fall and pale before a his brows raised in realization of who she was. "Merlin here is a fantastic writer, in fact, he's in the middle of writing something right now, something that will appeal to your more...homosexual client base." Gwaine interjected as he slide the glass in front of them both and leaned on the counter between the two. Morgana's cheek flushed pink as she accepted the drink she didn't even ask for and took a swig of it, shaking her head at the potency of liquor Gwaine had mixed in it.

"So you have experience with Homosexual relations or is this just something new you're trying?" she asked him and before Merlin could even think of what he was going to say Gwaine had opened his mouth and spoke for him. "Merlin is gay, very gay, in fact, I convinced him to come out to try and meet some new people." he said slapping his friend on the shoulder who only folded his arms up onto the counter and dropped his head in them, wishing he could bury himself within them and disappear. "Jesus Gwaine, you're embarrassing him." Morgana scolded him with a small smile as she lightly smacked his arm with the back of her hand.

"I'm going to go find a table." Merlin said getting up and storming away from his overly blabberous friend. "Do you mind if I sit here?" he asked the woman sitting next to the vacated seat. Her brown eyes trailed to him and then behind him where Morgana sat flirty with Gwaine before she nodded at him with a smile. "I'm Gwen." she said and he introduced himself before sitting and once again turning his eyes on the band.

"Someone come and, someone come and save my life, maybe I'll sleep when I am dead," the words spoke to Merlin on a deep level as that familiar calming tune rung in his ears and then it struck him. Last night his neighbour strummed that exact tune that Merlin listened to muffled through his walls and fell into the first deep slumber he's had in years. Who ever he was, Merlin had to get to know him.


	2. Chapter 2

Merlin laid only in his boxers in complete darkness that night, the summer night heat seeping into the already too hot room through his open window in spite of his effort to decrease it's volume. His hands lay folded over his midsection, the heels of his palm sticking to his clammy skin, as he waited patiently for his neighbours routine one man show but for now it was only the sounds from the busy streets of London below drifting up and echoing off his walls. He couldn't help his mind though. It kept playing back a certain blond haired musician with blue eyes and a jawline so sharp he was sure it could do some damage if used correctly, and boy would he love to be the one to put that theory to the test.

His heavy eyes slowly drifted over to the digital clock on his dresser beside the TV, bright green numbers blinking back at him and making him squint as he read 1:49. Any minute now his neighbour would awaken for whatever unknown reason and play his guitar and send Merlin into a slumber or, for some odd reason, he felt he would get up out of his bed and knock on their door to finally say hi...at 2 am. "That's a bloody brilliant idea." he mumbled to himself sourly and he let out a sigh and shifted so his arms cradled the back of his head.

...

Arthur's eyes shot open, the breath caught in his throat as he tried to move, but he couldn't. He laid there in vivid re-imagination of violent waves pulling him under, water forcing it's way into his mouth and down his throat, filling his lungs as he fought, slowly drowning in the middle of a hectic sea with no land in sight. Finally his fists balled the sheets beneath him and his seeming paralyses, which felt like it lasted hours but was only mere seconds, suddenly lifted off his body like a car had been holding him down and he sucked in a deep breath before panting heavily. "Bloody hell!" he exclaimed once he'd managed to get his body to stop shaking and the fear to leave his mind before lifting off the bed and throwing on some clothes before grabbing his guitar. For once he'd like to have a night of peace instead of this constant stream of bullshit.

He flopped down onto the couch with his back against the arm rest as he began to fiddle with the strings, trying to figure out what song was going to pop into his head first. "When the days are cold and the cards all fold, and the saints we see are all made of gold." His voice was shaky at first, still thick with sleep as he blinked with heavy eyelids that were filled with sleep. "It's where my demon's hide, it's we-" the sound of knocking coming from his door made him jump and drop the guitar as he wondered who the hell would be paying him a visit this late. He picked the guitar up and placed it in his vacated spot on the couch before slowly walking towards the front of his apartment and unlocking it slowly, almost afraid to open it for fear of what, or who, was on the other side. "Who is it and what do you want?" he asked through the tiny crack he made in the door, faintly making out the retreating figure of, what he assumed from the back of his head, was a young man with dark hair wearing an over sized jumper and scooby-doo pajama pants.

"Can I help you?" the words escaped Arthur's lips without warning and he seen the man freeze up before slowly turning, a slight shade of pink tinting his cheeks as he looked to Arthur, a look of embarrassment etched across his face before one of what, Arthur interpreted as, shocked terror. "H-hi." was all Merlin could stutter out as he stood in the middle of the hall with Arthur looking at him expectantly.

...

The sound got louder as he approached the heavy metal door and raised his hand, allowing the blood in his hand to drain in his hesitation till he could sense it's numbness, and then gave it three quick raps that he hoped were loud enough, but at the same time, hoped they weren't. He exhaled sharply as anxiety began to seed itself through his body as he waited for what seemed like a lifetime before he figured his knocks had gone unheard and he could retreat back to his apartment and pretend like nothing happened. How wrong he'd been. He'd already turned on his heel and took two steps, _two,_ when he heard the muffling of a lock coming undone and then the click of the door as it opened. His voice was soft when he spoke and Merlin felt all the muscles in his back tense before he turned towards his neighbour in a fluster, eyes widening at just who he was looking at and he had to blink to make sure he was seeing things properly. His own voice betrayed him, quivering and stuttering out a word he said everyday only added to the tightness in his chest as he tried to breath. Stood before him was the beautiful man with a jawline so sharp he could already feel it cutting into his skin.

"You...alright?" he asked in an unsure tone as he regarded Merlin cautiously, as if at any moment he would lunge at him with a knife he would miraculously pull from somewhere and shank him before going on his merry way to get a cup of _tea_ or something. "F-fine," Merlin gulped, hoping to swallow the fear and dryness in his mouth. "Fine, actually. I live next door." he said hoping he didn't sound like a complete looney even though he probably looked it. Who visits their neighbour for the first time _ever_ at 2 in the morning? No one, that's who.

"Right." Arthur said nodding at him as he stood wedged between the tiny opening of his door. "I, uh, heard you playing-" Merlin said motioning with his thumb in the direction of his door. "Oh!" Arthur seemed to perk up, eyes looking sympathetic now. "was I being too loud? Did I wake you up? I'm so sorry." he said but Merlin just shook his head as a small smile formed on his lips.

"No, quite the opposite in fact for the most part. I can't sleep, I don't sleep, well, that is until I can hear you playing." he said and caught Arthur's expression before realizing how weird that sounded. "I didn't mean it like that." he said as his face flushed of all colour and was caught off guard when the man in font of him seemed to chuckle before opening his door wider. Arthur couldn't believe how adorable he was.

"Wanna come in and listen then?" he asked as he watched Merlin's face quickly transition from confused to nervous before he smiled. "Yeah, that'd be nice." he said before moving past him carefully, making sure their bodies didn't collide in any way despite the fact that he would have liked to know what the skin on top of his hand felt like if he accidentally brushed his finger tips across it as he past.

"Can I get you anything, something to drink perhaps?" Arthur asked as Merlin stood and looked around at the slightly messy apartment, dishes on every table in sight and articles of clothing seemingly landing where ever they were tossed. "Tea would be nice." Merlin said as he began to play with the ends of his sleeves nervously, his feet almost glued to the spot where he stopped a few inches from the living area, a guitar laying on the couch. "I'm Arthur, in case you were wondering, and you can sit, ya know." Arthur called from behind him in the kitchenette and finally he willed his feet to move and carry him towards that couch and sit next to that guitar.

"So," Arthur dragged out the o sound as he emerged minutes later with two cups, one that he handed to Merlin, before grabbing his guitar and moving it so he could sit, their legs touching the faintest bit. "What's your name?" his dark blue eyes met his and it made the breath hitch in his throat at how one person could have so many beautiful physical traits. "Merlin." he said before taking a sip of his tea, the familiar taste of earl grey, and pulling a face at how bitter it was. "Oh, you didn't want sugar did you?" Arthur said once he realized he hadn't asked what he took in his tea.

"I usually take 2 but it's fine." he said trying to brush it off as his nerves took over, but Arthur gabbed the cup from his hand half way through it's destination to the coffee table and headed back to the kitchen where Merlin heard a cupboard open and close before he came back. "Try that." Arthur said handing him the cup as he stood over him, Merlin licking his lips nervously under Arthur's gaze, and took a sip before nodding his approval at the improvement. "Much better."

With a smile Arthur retook his seat next to him and picked up his guitar, resting it on his lap, before turning his attention back to Merlin. "You mentioned you don't sleep." Arthur stated. "Yeah, and by the looks of it, you don't either." he said back causing him to chuckle. "You wouldn't happen to suffer from chronic, yet vivid, nightmares would you?" the question caught Merlin off guard. "Not at all, I have a sleeping disorder doctors call insomnia. I just have a hard time falling asleep period." he said and watched Arthur frown. "I wish that was all I had..Anyway," Arthur said quickly changing the subject as he gently strummed the strings so they created a low hum, low enough he could still hold a conversation. "what do you do for a living?"

"I am a writer, actually, working on a new project right now." Merlin replied as he watched those pale fingers work delicately on the rough strings. "Oh, yeah? What's it about?" his cheeks flushed a very noticeable red and it made Arthur smile at how easily flustered this man would become from the simplest of questions. "It's a...it's a romance novel. Something different." he said with a low chuckle as he cast his eyes downward. "Different how?" he pressed and watched as his hands clasped together in his lap as his eyes still avoided his. "Let's just say it's not your typical boy/girl relationship...more...man/man." he said in a low voice before biting his lower lip. This, however, sparked Arthur's interest immensely. "So it's a gay romance? I'll have to give it a read sometime," he said before an idea struck him. "If you need help writing...I could probably help you. I know a lot about being gay." he hinted hoping the man sitting beside him wasn't some douche-y homophobic that would throw holy water, or the bible, at him.

"Are you...?" Merlin let the sentence trail off, not wanting to offend him it he wasn't in fact gay, but the slow nod of his head sent a wave of relief pulsing through his body. "Well I'm gay too." Merlin said with a smile that mirrored itself on Arthur's lips, who now plucked the stringers harder until a beautiful melody filled the air around them, the time for talking seemingly over and Merlin was okay with that. And there it was again, that familiar tune he was growing to love more and more each second. His eyes grew heavy, and as hard as he fought to keep them open just so he could watch Arthur play, it was no use.

...

Arthur sang with all the emotion he could muster in his slightly lower singing voice, eyes closed as the music flowed through him and took him away once more, and when he finished he opened his eyes to find Merlin slumped over, his body hugging and matching the curve of the back of his couch. "Merlin?" he whispered, checking to make sure he was completely asleep before he moved, and when he only stirred slightly and mumbled something about a cat named benji, did Arthur move and grab an extra blanket from his storage closet by the front door and drape it over Merlin who looked more like a little kid now than ever, and that made Arthur smile before heading to bed.


End file.
